From the Depths of Hell
by Fantasy Loremaster
Summary: The war in the wizarding world has drawn unfriendly focus. A series of events lead several prominent witches & wizards to band together to save each other and their world. Love rises from the ashes and the very world's foundation is shaken. LM & HG
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own or make any monetary gain from using the characters/situations that were provided for our entertainment in the Harry Potter verse. That particular distinction belongs to one very talented J.K. Rowling and the Publishing house that took a chance on one very intriguing tale. Any similarities in this story to any other posted story is entirely unintentional and the situations and OC's used are my own idea. Please do not duplicate or use without my permission.

**From the Depths of Hell**

**Prologue**

_June 7, 2001_

_Do you know what it feels like __when__ the foundations of your entire world were destabilized right where you stood? The people __you had __so faithfully obeyed against your own __internal __ethic__al__ battle__s,__ deserted you to your deserved fate? __Such is the company I work for.__ Such is the price I paid for the va__nity of my self-importance. My __career._

_An explanation is in order. I will have to be brief though. I fear I do not have much time left._

_It is human nature to capture, rule and destroy__that __which __we do not understand or what we perceive as a threat. Human beings are the dominant species on the Earth and it was not through sunshine and love that we reached this point in our time on this planet. __In a kill or be killed world, __our species have grown cruel and self __obsessed_

_Quite content with power struggles, __prejudices, __poverty and warfare, our kind only strive to be the best and to have the most__ for ourselves__ We forget about the world around us and the life that it sustains. We have plundered and pillaged our way through history and now we are at a crucial brink in our human evolution._

_Do we as a race accept __that __which we did__ not know__ of much less understand__ Can we manage to __tolerate __and live with the__ presence of those who are different? I wish I could see the day when tolerance and peace reign in this world._

_But I am afraid that will not happen. As I write this, I am awaiting my end. Strange figures have entered __the labs in this bunker__ and as I write __this, they __are systematically annihilating anyone they see. _

_We were wrong to think that we could control the captured ones. We underestimated __our abilities__ and __now __our experiments __were__out of control. _

_Once random people from such a different world than ours, a world where fairytales of magic and dragons seem to exist, __we__ captured and enslaved a fair few of these __beings called __wizards and witches. _

_The experiments we forced upon their persons were tortuous at best. Several corpses had to be removed on a regular basis, but for every one we lost, a replacement would be assured._

_We could not duplicate their "magic" and __so __we __turned to __an __intensive __reprogramming of the brain. __We tried extensive memory erasing to allow us better control but somehow __they were resistant__ and retained their memories and everything that we have done to them. Authorized__ actions against them__ or not. We managed to turn them into what one could call super soldiers. M__agic wielding super soldier__s_

_Ones with a serious grudge._

_A massive outbreak occurred after __approximately __nine m__onths of their forced participation in __our accelerated __combat __program. The perfect soldier the military crowed. An unstoppable foe, one which had never been unleashed on the world._

_We made the grave error in assuming that our prisoners were compliant and docile. Now, we are all paying with our lives.__ War has been declared by __the__ magical wizards and wizards against__ us ordinary people._

_We simply cannot defend ourselves against the sheer rage we fight against. I suppose that if I had been taken from my home, my world, __tortured and trained to kill, I would be quite angry as well.__ I cannot fault them for that._

_In the end it does not matter. I will meet __my demise__just__ like my fellow colleagues already have done._

_Ahhhh, here comes my executioner now.__ I shou__ld have expected her.__ Her or her cellmate. Both were powerful and formidable in their own rights.__ Though, this one__ was __definitely the __one that everyone __wisely __feare__d__ upon first meeting her, unlike her cellmate, who was deceptive and vengeful in her own way. __But this one, __he__r__ crazed laugh and the demonic gleam __that seemed to shine through her __eyes were unnerving to the entire staff in Bunker Four. She was feared and treated with kid gloves._

_After she killed McPherson__ in cold blood__, that is._

_This is the end._

_Strangely, this __darkly insane and __beautiful woman is allowing me to finish__ this entry. I find myself rushing __t__h__rough these words__ in the hope that my acquiesce would somehow make my passing easy._

_Though I do not deserve it.__ And I do not think it will be._

_In this journal you will find daily detailed notes on our experiments and scientific altering we have done__ to the prisoners__It also is a testimony to some to the unspeakable things my colleagues did __voluntarily to the captives__Captives such as this dark Angel of Death before me. Only too late do I realize the __staggering truth._

_We were wrong. We will lose this war and our world will never be the same._

_That is__ the little bit __of our world __that will survive._

_I hope that in the future someone will read of our folly and not allow history to repeat itself. Genocide is never the option.__ No matter the extent of our fear._

_My executioner twitche__s impatiently. It is time to leave this world_

_Farewell my friends. I accept my death calmly and with the knowledge that I hold no ill will for the judgment delivered by this particular witch. _

_Though I wish for you to heed my last words:_

_Run._

_Run for your continued survival._

_I am sorry for our mistakes.__ I only hope that we did not drive all that is good and merciful out of them._

_If so…_

_God help us all._

_**Dr. Joseph Miller**_

_**Head of Genetic Research**_

_**Wheaton and **__**Caliph**__** Industries**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_October 2000_

Hermione ducked away from the morbid looking purple hex thrown her way by her deadly opponent.

"Is the little mudblood getting tired?"

Gritting her teeth, the beautiful twenty-one year old refused to give hint of her exhaustion. She had been dueling with the insane Bellatrix Lestrange for almost twenty minutes. Their battle was skilled and intense. They paid no heed to their surroundings only each of them concentrating on the opposing witch.

Beyond the history with the Veil and Sirius almost six years back, Bellatrix had been responsible for the torture and mutilation of several former members of the D.A. who after Hogwarts had joined the Order of the Phoenix. During several battles between the Death Eaters and the Order, Hermione constantly found herself the favorite opponent of the older deadly witch.

She shouldn't have been so surprised. She _did_ manage to hex the witch unconscious several times. Of course Voldemort's unnaturally strong interest in the former Head Girl, if you believed some of the deeply planted Order spies, did not help her case either with Bellatrix.

Ducking another particularly nasty hex, the honey-eyed witch sent a curse of her own soaring towards Lestrange. She was tiring and her deadly opponent knew it. Freshly back from another skirmish, the curly-haired witch hadn't had a half-hour to recuperate before being called to this assignment. She desperately needed a well-deserved rest and would not be able to look for the comforts of her cozy flat until she put Bellatrix down.

"Muddy, muddy little girl. You can't beat me, so why even try?"

Gritting her teeth at the sing-song voice of her opponent, Hermione fired off another hex.

"You have to do better than that little girl!"

A loud cry was heard from her left and automatically the curly haired witch turned to look. Seizing her chance, Bellatrix shot a slicing hex towards her opponent. Seeing the hex thrown her way, Hermione barely managed to dive out of the way, the curse grazing her arm. Wincing from both the impact of her dive and the hex, she reached for her wand which had rolled a few feet away from her reach.

Another shout reached her ears and this time it had come from her opponent. Staggering to her feet holding her bloody arm, the amber eyed witch turned just in time to see Lestrange collapse and a figure in muggle fatigues standing over her prone form.

"What the…"

A heavy blow to her temple swiftly cut her off as blinding pain exploded in her head. She saw the ground rushing up to meet her before all went dark.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: **Welcome to my new story _From the Depths of Hell_! I have not given up on _Legacy_, I am just considering if I should take it back to the drawing board. As I was weighing the pros and cons of doing that, the idea for this tale popped into my head. I am debating on whether this should be a LM/HG pairing or a DM/HG one.

This is just the Prologue as I am trying to see if there is enough interest in this to go with it. I realize that this Chapter is MUCH shorter than I usually write, but consider it a story teaser. So with that said, **PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!**

And as always,

THANKS FOR READING EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

F.L.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning:**** Disturbing content in this chapter. You have been warned.**

**From the Depths of Hell**

**Chapter 1**

_September 15, 2000_

_Today I was called before the CEO of Wheaton and Caliph Industries, Dr. Mathew Rowland. I was a bit nervous but also excited. You see, many of my colleagues in the field have been working on a classified assignment the past couple of months for the government in tangent with other companies in the scientific community. All was being headed by my company. Feeling left out, I remained in my lab running the same dreary repetitive tests that I was hired to do and oversee. Some days I felt as if my brain would atrophy from the dullness of it all. I was not one of the top geneticists in the world for nothing you know, and I could not help the bitter feelings I had with being left high and dry. After all __**I**__ was Head of Genetic Research!_

_Maybe today was the day I would __**finally**__ be included in this highly classified project!_

_As I sat before Dr. Rowland, I tried not to fidget and remain composed. I answered his questions with growing confusion. After all, my personnel file was on the desk before him._

_How long had I been with the company? What was my experience? My goals? Where did I see myself in five years?_

_Needless to say I was beyond curious but I managed to restrain the questions burning in my throat. As Dr. Rowland, or Mathew as he insisted I address him, explained to me the reason for this meeting, I felt my mouth drop open and my eyes bulge out of my head._

_Magic people? Witches, wizards? Preposterous! I scoffed and told him such._

_He gave me a knowing smile before requesting me to follow him. I did so with a bit of trepidation but mainly with excitement. What if Mathew was right? Oh, the possibilities! _

_Preoccupied with my thoughts, I did not realize that the elevator we were on stopped on the ground floor. Preparing to exit, I was held back. Mathew held up a key that he inserted in the elevator wall and the doors closed. A screen popped up imprinting his palm before a computerized voice approved him for clearance. The elevator descended rapidly through what I could make out as several sub-levels._

_Ushering me out, I was surprised to see military personnel fully armed and in customary fatigues. Feeling a bit daunted, I meekly followed Mathew down the hall and to a room which was for observation. Looking out of the two-way mirror I was astonished to see a man approaching middle-age brandishing a stick of wood. He had on what appeared to be a tattered black dress and his hair hung down in dirty clumps. Dirt and grime caked his exposed skin and he wore a fierce scowl as he kept his stick pointed at the guard in the room._

_Seeing my bewilderment, Mathew smiled thinly. He cautioned me to watch as he flipped a switch that from what I could see didn't do anything._

_Before I knew it a red light was shooting from the stick of wood and hit the armed guard center chest causing him to fly backwards into the wall and collapse in a heap._

_As I gaped at the scene, the grimy man stood there in surprise before lunging for the door. Mathew flipped another switch and I could see an electrical current run through the man's body from where his hand was on the door handle. The strange man collapsed, unconscious._

_Disbelieving, I let Mathew usher me back to elevator and back up to his office, vaguely registering other people in lab coats entering the room with the strange man. My body ran on auto pilot as my brain was rapidly assimilating everything I had heard and seen. I was able to come back to myself to answer Mathew's question._

_Would I take the position?_

_I would be a fool not to! Imagine the possibilities!_

_**Dr. Joseph Miller**_

_**Head of Genetic Research**_

_**Wheaton and Caliph Industries**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_October 2000_

The sound of thrumming from machines echoed the blinding pain in her head as she struggled to open her eyes against the darkness. The ache in her head was causing nausea to churn in her empty stomach. Managing to crack her eyes open, she groaned at the sensation of a thousand jack-hammers reverberating inside her skull. Feeling the bile rise in her throat she tried to turn over but was only able to turn her head weakly to the side as she retched. Her body shook and shuddered as her stomach clenched painfully with dry heaves before finally subsiding. Blinking painfully, the honey eyed witch opened her eyes taking in her surroundings. It looked like she was in a small hold, as her eyes perused the dark metallic walls taking in the sparse settings. She noticed a few unconscious figures next to her, all chained and unable to move. Panic began to set in. She yanked on the chains holding her wrists and was unable to gain nothing but a few inches of slack, enough to allow her to painfully sit up.

She closed her eyes against the threatening darkness and concentrated on her breathing trying to ignore the debilitating pain. A loud moan from her immediate right caused her eyes to fly open and search for the sound.

"Ugghhh…."

Her voice came out hoarse and raw. "Take it easy. Move slowly."

Incoherent mutterings was heard from the person next to her as they struggled to raise themselves in a sitting position. Suddenly the sound of retching was heard further to the right, and Hermione strained to see the source.

"Merlin's balls!"

Flinching at the loudness of the voice to her immediate right, she closed her eyes again as her head roared with pain.

"Shut up!" A harsh whisper sounded out from the end.

Silence reigned for a few minutes as the other captors assimilated themselves to the current situation. The curly-haired witch concentrated on adjusting her eyes to the darkness noting with relief that the pounding in her skull had lessened considerably.

"Where the fuck are we?"

Without looking at the person to her right she answered softly; "On a muggle ship, I would imagine."

Murmuring was heard form the others.

"A ship? A _muggle_ ship? Are you joking?!"

Sighing, the brunette looked to her right. "If you can't tell from the creaking noise and all of the ropes and netting around, I imagine the cast iron walls slightly rusted from the salt in the water would have given it away."

"What the hell are we doing on a ship?!"

"Shut it! Some of us are in pain and we don't need your outbursts making it worse!"

Hermione smiled grimly at the bickering taking place further to her right. From what she could remember of the events that occurred before waking up here, then they all were in trouble. From what she gathered they were prisoners of the muggle military.

Not a good situation at all.

"So does anyone know what's going on?" The hauntingly familiar voice to her immediate right asked.

The others had comprised theories of their own and were taking the chance to shout them out. Somewhere between being held captive by merpeople to being used as bait for whales, Hermione sighed loudly drawing attention to herself.

"What?" A petulant voice asked.

"It's just none of your theories are right! Didn't you notice the men who knocked you out? Men dressed as muggle military? We are on a muggle ship. You fill in the blanks!"

Silence immediately greeted her observation. A slow chuckle from the prisoner on her immediate right raised the hairs at the back of her neck.

"I must say Granger, some things never change. You still have to be the first in everything mudblood."

"Malfoy?!"

An arrogant laugh confirmed her suspicions. Oh, this was rich! She was kidnapped and chained alongside the biggest git in the world. Perfect.

"Well since we all are going to be bunkmates for a while, let's introduce ourselves shall we? As you know I am Draco Malfoy and the woman to my left is Hermione Granger."

Mutterings were heard around the hold at the introduction of two of the more famous people in the ongoing war, also on opposing sides.

Hermione closed her eyes again and allowed the introductions to wash over her. Besides Malfoy and herself there were three other people in the hold with them. Only one name she recognized, Daphne Greengrass. The other two were males. One called Charlie McDougall and the other Tomas Haggerty.

All of them were witches/wizards.

Stilted conversation followed before eventually dying out. Hermione had no idea how long they remained there chained up. It felt like days but could have only been an hour or two in reality. She allowed her thoughts to drift, focusing on her friends and the Order.

Almost a year ago, Harry, Ron and her had decided to take matters in their own hands after growing tired of constantly relocating the Order headquarters. Banding together, they managed to purchase a rundown muggle warehouse that after many renovation and protective spells later, operated as an efficient headquarters. There were numerous rooms for the comfort of the resistance to stay in as they came and went. Knowing the opposing side's regard for muggles and their technology, the idea for using it for the Order's benefit was a sound one. The past few years it seemed as if the war was deadlocked and the light side could use any ace up their sleeve they could get.

The sound of a rusty metal door opening broke her out of her thoughts. Bright light permeated the dark hold and the curly-haired witch found herself blinking back tears from her stinging eyes. Heavy boots tromped on the metal floor causing her to wince in pain. She could hear Malfoy cursing under his breath from where he sat beside her.

"Alright you freaks! The captain says we are almost at port. Time to get up!"

She was jerked roughly forwards by one man while another unlocked her heavy chains. She stood on wobbly legs as her hands were chained in front of her then shackled to her legs. Her face remained impassive as the man holding her still took the opportunity to roam his hands along her body.

"Let me go you muggle filth!"

Hermione's eyes flashed hearing Daphne's cry of outrage. She could only imagine how the other witch was feeling if it was anything similar to her own anger and fear threatening to overwhelm her.

The military muggle man in charge motioned for his soldier to bring the struggling Daphne over to him. He regarded her with an emotionless face. The raven haired witch ceased her struggles only long enough to spit in his face. He backhanded her causing her to fall to the floor from the force of the blow.

Hermione felt Draco tense beside her as they hauled Daphne to her feet. She watched in shock as the large military man reached out a grasped the witch by her neck, slowly strangling her.

"Stop!"

Swallowing convulsively, the honey-eyed witch was astonished to realize that the cry came from her own throat. The muggle in charge looked over at her as he continued to choke the now frantic Daphne. Deciding that the brunette was better prey he tossed the choking witch to the floor.

Hermione tried to step back from the approaching man but was forced in place by two soldiers. So be it. If this was going to be her end, well she would be damned if she met it cowering in fear. She raised her head defiantly, her eyes flashing. She looked every inch the Gryffindor Princess she had been nicknamed.

"What did you say freak?"

"I said for you to stop hurting her you masochist jackass!"

From next to her she heard Draco choke at her heated response.

Raising an amused eyebrow the large military man motioned for a soldier to undo her chains. Feeling the weight drop from her Hermione reacted instantly. She quickly head butted the soldier in front of her while lashing out with her foot at the one behind her. She was quickly subdued as two more soldiers restrained her painfully. With her arms yanked behind her back to the point of her shoulder almost being dislocated, the angry witch could only glare at her enemy.

"Well, well. Another feisty one, eh boys? I know just what to do with her. Bring her. She will join the other one."

He paused, looking back at the now standing and chained Daphne. "Actually, bring them all now. I'm sure they won't want to miss the show."

Draco watched with a stoic countenance as his longtime enemy was dragged out of the hold. He allowed himself to be yanked along at a slower pace since all of them were shackled together. He stole a glance at his former housemate. She was tight lipped and fear shone in her eyes.

Fear for who, he did not know. He doubted that Greengrass felt afraid for Granger, though from the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he felt that she very well should.

Maybe they all should.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hermione flinched as the bright midday sun pierced her eyes. Unable to rub the sting out of them she snarled in anger as they watered, blurring her vision. She was thrown roughly down, wincing at the burning feeling from the steel deck. A foot was placed on the back of her neck keeping her immobile. She blinked rapidly as her vision slowly cleared.

"Muddy, muddy muddy! They've brought you to play!"

Oh for the love of Circe! Bellatrix. Perfect. Could her day get any better?

"Silence, you bitch!" The sound of flesh hitting flesh registered in the curly-haired witch's ears.

Realizing that Lestrange must have been the "other one" the muggle military man had referred too back in the hold didn't really make her feel any better.

She was suddenly hauled to her feet, arms restrained behind her. She squinted against the daylight, but was able to make out a group of thirty or so prisoners she was facing. She turned her head to the side and saw Bellatrix also being restrained in the same manner as her, a bruise darkening her cheek. Turning her attention back to the other prisoners she tried to make out faces beneath the dirt and grime that covered all of them.

"Listen up you maggots! You are now the property of the United States of America and her co-supporter the United Kingdom. You have been deemed a danger to both countries and will be treated as such. We will not tolerate any disobedience or disrespect. Consider this your first and only warning."

Shocked didn't even begin to describe the emotions in the amber-eyed witch's stomach. She was not property! She was a human-being for Circe's sake!

"Now these two women you see in front of you acted foolishly and disrespected the officer in command of all of you. Now they will be punished as an example of what we will not allow."

Hermione tensed at those words. She braced herself for the beating she would receive. She was surprised when she was flung to the deck on her back with her arms and legs tied open, spread eagle. Horror filled her as she realized what her "punishment" was.

"No! You can't do this!" She screamed as her clothing was cut away leaving her writhing body exposed. She saw in her peripheral vision Bellatrix receiving the same treatment.

"My Lord will strike you down! Do not touch me with your filthy hands! Your tainted blood will be spilled when the Dark Lord hears of this atrocity!"

Outraged cries from the prisoners assaulted her ears as the two women struggled to get free. This was not happening! This was surreal! She heard Bellatrix cry out in pain, which only fed the fires of the younger witch's own panic and fear.

Hermione closed her eyes as she felt a body lowering on to hers. Tears seeped through her eyelids as she felt the foreign invasion into her body causing her to release a bloodcurdling scream. In and out, in and out, flesh slapping against flesh. She heard the huffing of the male on top of her and opened her eyes. She stared at him with eyes glowing with hatred as he pulled out and spilled his seed on her thigh.

She immediately turned her head to the side and retched. Tears ran down her face as her stomach once again heaved with nothing to sate the vomiting reflex. Feeling hot breath on her neck she squeezed her eyes shut, praying that it was over with.

"Thanks for the free ride, doll."

Her eyes flew opened at her rapist's statement. She found herself staring into the dark orbs of Bellatrix who also had her head to the side.

"Muddy, muddy, muddy, look at us now."

Before she could respond to the insane woman's muttering the muggle in charge spoke again.

"We will be landing at port within the hour. There you will be escorted to your new living arrangements. I trust that there will be no other disobedience. My men have no qualms punishing you whether you are a man or a woman. They were handpicked specifically for their brutality. I will stress that what you have seen here today is only a taste of what awaits you if you misbehave."

Numb, Hermione felt herself being lifted to her feet and dressed swiftly in muggle scrubs. She kept her eyes lifted up to the sky as she allowed herself to be chained and shackled. She was roughly shoved forwards, and once again found herself chained next to Draco.

The Malfoy heir was silent as her body began to shake with sobs. Gasping noises escaped her clenched teeth as she fought for control.

"Granger, we'll break free."

Freedom. What a simple word with such a deeper meaning. A meaning until this day she truly didn't comprehend.

Free. Yes, they would break free.

Somehow.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N:** Well the second installment is up and I have decided on the pairing. **LM/HG!!!!** Which is actually the pairing I had in mind to begin with. It will be a chapter or two until we see him, but no worries, he will appear in all of his sexy glory!

As a **MOST recently laid-off** working mother, please **Review** and let me know what you guys think!

Thanks for reading everyone!

F.L.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own anything HP related nor am I making any profit from this story. Any original characters and/or settings belong to me and permission is needed from me before using any OC's/plot that I am currently writing as I have worked hard on the creation of this tale.**

**Warning:**** Disturbing content in this chapter. You have been warned.**

**From the Depths of Hell**

**Chapter 2**

_September 22, 2000_

_I have been apart of what is now dubbed "The Wonderland Project" for an entire week now and I am still just as amazed now as I was when Mathew first showed me the underground catacombs. Today I got to oversee a hunt of the first successful batch of genetically altered magic people. _

_I will note here that I do not call them "freaks" like my other colleagues and the soldiers stationed here. Even though they are rather unique subjects, they are still a race of their own. Of course, that is a popular debate around here and I imagine that over time my viewing the subjects as "people" will somewhat diminish. An occupational given, I am afraid._

_Enough about that though. Let me explain what we are doing and what the hunt is for._

_You see, several of the subjects had been injected prior to my joining the project with a chemical we call GT3. The purpose of GT3 is to increase physical strength and stamina while lowering their choice of free will. In short; basic mind control. After administering the drug we proceeded to rehabilitate the subjects with a grueling schedule of combat training and other militaristic duties. Our goal is to create the perfect warrior, a drone, who will carry out orders without fail._

_We inserted a specialized chip in each of the subjects that suppressed their magic until we feel it would be time to incorporate their magic in our regiment. Though if a time does come for that, I highly doubt I will still be on this earth to witness it. The military giving back something as potentially dangerous as magic to these captured individuals would be rather stupid in my opinion. But that is not my call to make or my job. _

_My job is to perfect the GT3 serum so the military WON'T have a problem with the subjects._

_This hunt was to ascertain the subjects' ability to rationalize in a hunter/prey scenario. How much free will did they have left? Would they be able to deviate from the mission and improvise when necessary? They were let loose, unarmed into the catacombs with a contingent of soldiers following to hunt them down and capture them._

_It was mostly successful, until one of the subjects broke a soldier's neck. Such a waste! That subject was shot point blank, execution style. Which unfortunately caused the other five subjects to grow rowdy and they were killed as well._

_Oh, well. There are more of these magic people out there. The military will just have to obtain additional subjects._

_**Dr. Joseph Miller**_

_**Head of Genetic Research**_

_**Wheaton and Caliph Industries**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_October 2000_

Draco absently scratched his left forearm idly as he waited in line for his cell assignment. He kept a firm glance on Granger who had quieted her sobs back on the ship and a few hours later they now stood in this huge room chained together. He saw a strange burning in Granger's eyes as she eyed the muggle soldiers that surrounded them. She would look over one before moving to the next. Furrowing his brow in confusion, he leaned over to ask the witch what she was doing when he was smacked smartly in the back.

"No talking maggot!"

Gritting his teeth to bite back a retort, Draco turned to face the front like the other witches/wizards from the ship. He felt a gentle, fleeting touch on his arm and he deduced it was Granger warning him against acting against orders.

_Well she would know the consequences of doing that, wouldn't she?_

Draco physically cringed at that unkind thought. What Granger and Aunt Bella had to endure was horrifying to him. Yes, as a Malfoy and a Death Eater he most certainly was familiar with pain and humiliation, having experienced it and witnessed it in all sorts of varying forms, but to have his brethren, no matter how unworthy, subjected to the cold, harsh hands of pure muggles set his blood boiling.

Granger did not deserve what happened to her and he doubted his Aunt Bella did as well. He knew this muggle military wanted to send a message to all of the prisoners and they succeeded. Draco had seen fear in more than one of the captive's eyes and it did nothing to calm his anger.

He wondered if his father knew he was missing yet. Draco had not been part of any raid or battle the night he was taken. He simply had been blowing off steam in a pub in Knockturn Alley known for their special entertainment with a few old school chums he had run into. After an hour or two, he had left the pub aptly called "Wanton Witch" and flooed to the Leaky Cauldron before exiting out into muggle London to meet a prior appointment with a supposed spy in the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix.

He made it to the meeting place and recalled feeling frustrated that his contact had not made an appearance yet. He turned to leave, disgusted with even being in such a place teeming with muggle filth, when he felt a cloth being smashed into his face. He breathed in a sickly sweet odor before all went black. His next memory was waking up on a ship chained up next to Granger.

Brought out of his reverie by a sharp shove, the Malfoy heir whirled around to see who his adversary was. Ignoring, Grangers indignant cry as he had been pushed into her, his mercurial eyes met those of a dark indigo.

"Blaise?"

The tall Italian only grimaced in response as he rubbed the raw skin from where his metal shackles were biting into his wrists, glaring daggers at the soldier who had shoved him so forcefully. Looking behind his friend, Draco's eyes widened as he saw another group of witches and wizards, several of which he had attended Hogwart's with.

"What the hell? Where did you come from?"

The blond was not given an answer as his friend's eyes darkened to near black as they focused on something behind him. A blow to his head sent Draco reeling towards his old Slytherin chum and he groggily could make out the screams of Granger as his linked arm drug her against him.

"I said no talking maggot!"

Shaking his head, Draco was momentarily stunned by the boot in his diaphragm which drove him to his knees.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" Hermione cried out, struggling to remain upright and not be pulled to the hard concrete floor.

"Shut up whore! I can get Jeffereys back over here for a repeat performance if you like! I'm sure he would be happy to teach you another lesson like the one you got on the ship!"

Blanching, the beautiful brunette shook her head. "No…no."

Sneering, the soldier turned his attention back towards the blond wizard on the floor. "Stand up maggot!"

Struggling, Draco stood slowly, shaking the dizziness off. He allowed himself to be grabbed roughly and shoved back into place behind Granger. He ignored the fetid breath of his attacker as the muggle leaned close to him.

"When I say 'No Talking', I mean NO TALKING!!!! GOT IT?!?!"

Draco's ears were ringing from the sheer volume of the filthy muggle's voice. Gritting his teeth, he nodded abruptly, not willing to fall for this arsehole's trap by actually answering him.

Satisfied with the prisoner's demeanor, the soldier turned his attention to Hermione. Stepping closer to the petite woman he reached out and ran a hand down her curvaceous form.

"Mmmm…Jeffereys has all of the luck! Maybe next time I'll be the one having a go at your tight cunt!"

Her lips were pressed together tightly as her eyes flashed in fear and revulsion. Luckily, she was saved from further pawing as it was her turn to be assigned. The emotionless face of the soldier at the table in front of her informed the witch that she was assigned to Unit J Cell Block 7. Her cellmate had already been taken down before her. She was handed a couple changes of grey scrubs, a pair of slippers, a roll of toilet paper, a toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant and a bottle of shampoo with a bar of soap. Finally a soft bristled brush was tossed on top of her pile.

"Since you are not the only one going to that cellblock from this line, you are to wait until the rest of the line is assigned. You will then be escorted to your cell."

Hermione remained in stony silence as she was unchained from the line and shoved over against the wall, tripping slightly on her shackles. She managed to stay upright and not drop any of the items that were given to her. She watched the proceedings without interest as her mind turned inwards.

She was a prisoner with others of her kind. Light or Dark, the muggles had chosen their prisoners based on the fact that they were magical. Any idiot could figure that out. She had been drugged, chained like an animal, smacked around and raped. Now here she stood, trembling from the abuse she had already received and terrified of what was yet to come. She closed her eyes against the reality that was around her. She was cutoff from the Order and her friends and surrounded by enemies. She had to keep her wits about her and her Gryffindor courage. She was one of the most elite members of the Order of the Phoenix, best friend to Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. She was the brightest witch of her age, and skilled in combat tactics thanks to Moody and Lupin.

She could do this. She would survive.

She was a Gryffindor through and through, but that was also tempered with an ability to rationalize. She would not be so foolhardy again. She would bide her time and figure a way out of this mess, and take as many captured witches and wizards with her as she could.

She was jarred out of her thoughts as she was yanked forwards and chained to several other captives. Curling her lip in a sneer, she once again found herself chained next to Malfoy, only this time she was behind him with Zabini behind her. She shuffled along with the others until they reached a utility elevator. They were ushered in, crammed against one another as the elevator began it's descent towards the bowels of the facility. She watched with a detached eye as the levels flashed red on the screen ignoring the fidgeting of the witches and wizards who had never been in an elevator before.

Finally, they stopped moving and were yanked out once the doors opened. The chain was removed linking them together and they were shuffled off down the hall. The reached a large blast door that was opened by a keycard from the soldier leading them. They were prodded by the butts of P-90's to move forward. As the door closed behind them, Hermione looked down the hall were several cells were situated, enclosed in nothing but what looked to be plexiglass. There would be no privacy here.

One by one they were led to their cells, and their shackles taken off before they were shoved inside. Some of the cells were already occupied, like the one Hermione was none to gently pushed into. She saw Zabini and Malfoy in the cell directly across they way. She sighed and turned around, placing her things on the bed that was unoccupied. As she organized herself, her thoughts were filled with possibilities of the future. What was their purpose here? What would happen to them?

"Muddy, muddy, muddy! How nice to see you again!"

Face paling, Hermione turned to face her cellmate.

"Bellatrix."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tonks stared at the faces gathered around the kitchen table of the most Noble House of Black, or otherwise known as 12 Grimmauld Place and sighed. She knew the news she had to deliver would not be received well.

"Due to intelligence that Kingsley was able to obtain through the Prime Minister's office, several of our brethren are being taken captive and never seen or heard from again. At first we had thought the Death Eaters were behind these disappearances on orders from You-Know-Who, but then it has come to light that they are missing several of their colleagues as well."

"Good riddance to them! We don't care if Death Eater's are taken!" Amos Diggory shouted earning several murmurs of agreement.

"Yes, but it is not only the Death Eaters that are being captured. Witches and wizards on all sides are disappearing. Whether they are Dark, Light or Undeclared it does not matter. We have been able to ascertain that the British Government in collaboration with the United States are behind this and unfortunately we do not know much more than that."

"That makes our missions more dangerous." Lupin sighed wearily.

"It would seem so Remus. How can we go and protect the muggles when they are the ones kidnapping us?" Minerva said mouth in a grim line.

"Why are they capturing us? If we find that out then maybe we can find our missing people. Who has been taken anyway?"

Tonks rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Smythe Sr., Transky, and Isaac. There are others, but they are not affiliated with the Order. I'll see if I can get a completed list."

"You can add others to that list." A new voice said entering the room.

All eyes turned to see the Weasley twins' grim countenance.

"Fred! George! What happened to you?!" Molly shrieked as she rushed over to her sons who were covered in an assortment of dirt and scrapes. They stood stoically and allowed her to fuss about them, which in itself was an odd occurrence for the rambunctious duo.

"We came from Groveton…"

"Where we were sent to check on things…"

"Death Eaters had been spotted there…"

"And we found in the abandoned field behind the factory…"

"Several abandoned wands and some robes…"

"And some strange metal arrows…

"That we can conclude are some sort of muggle devices…

"So we brought some back…"

"Here."

They pulled out several what appeared to be shiny darts and tossed them onto the table. Lupin fingered one apprehensibly letting out a low whistle.

"Muggles use these to drug their opponents rendering them unconscious."

"Really?" Arthur asked with interest. "Amazing!"

Everyone looked at him like he had grown two heads.

"Well it is rather genius of them, not that I am saying I approve of their methods or of them taking our people."

"Do you think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named knows about this?" Bill Weasley asked changing the subject. He grasped Fleur's hand reassuredly.

Mad-Eye Moody snorted. "If he doesn't than he is a bigger fool than usual. Though I didn't think that was possible with that bastard."

"Alastor!" Minerva said warningly.

"What? You know as well as I that he has his head up his arse! All he cares about is getting to Potter. Well that and seemingly Miss Granger."

"Speaking of, where is Harry mum?" Bill asked before she could retort to the old Auror's last remark

"He and Ron are not back from their mission yet, though I expect them back shortly."

"What about the others?" Charlie asked, speaking up for the first time.

Tonks sighed wearily. "We have touched base with most of our team leaders."

"Who hasn't responded?" Moody asked, understanding what the younger Auror left unspoken.

Feeling the weight of eyes on her, Tonks bit her lip. "Neville Longbottom…." She trailed off, too afraid to continue.

Remus narrowed his eyes on the metamorphagus. "Who else Nymphadora?"

"Don't call me that." She snapped absently.

"Who's calling you what?" Ron's voice asked as he walked into the kitchen followed by Harry Potter. Both look disheveled and rather tired, but seemed in good spirits.

Instead of responding Tonks paled causing more than one look of concern. "Tonks are you alright?" Molly asked after she greeted the newcomers affectionately.

"Y..yes. I am fine."

Moody eyed her suspiciously. He knew she was holding something back and he knew Remus was aware of it as well. He ignored the oldest Weasley as he brought his youngest brother and Potter up to date. He saw the green haired woman's hand shake as Bill reached the part about the team leaders.

Wait. Team Leaders. Longbottom. His team was assigned with Granger's tonight for a simple recon mission with a minimal risk of fighting.

Longbottom hadn't responded.

He felt his old heart sink as he for once prayed that he was wrong.

"Who else hasn't reported Tonks?" Harry asked sternly.

Moody was surprised at his astuteness. Obviously Potter was able to read between the lines as well.

Tonks gulped before lowering her head and mumbling.

"What was that dear?" Molly asked.

The young Auror lifted her head and cleared her throat.

"I..I..I said Hermione Granger was the other team leader not responding."

Silence engulfed the room as more than one face held a horrified look on it.

"WHAT?!?!?!?!?!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: ** Hi all! I know it's been forever since I updated, but I hadn't gotten much of a response out of the first couple of chapters so I was a bit discouraged. That and I hate doing chapters like this, where nothing really happens, but they are still needed for the plot. Remember SOME things will canon but this is obviously AU. I chose to do fanon Blaise as I was addicted to his character portrayed as that before we found out his true looks, not that there is anything wrong with J.K.'s description of him. I am one of those people that once I have a picture in my head of a character, it is rather hard to think of them differently.

I have started working on the next chapter and I hope to have it up by the end of the week-end.

I really would appreciate some reviews here people! It is VERY discouraging to work hard on a story and not have many people drop me a line of support. I cannot tell you the TONS of absolutely HORRID stories that are out there that get a ridiculously high number of reviews. You've seen them too. I'm sure you have. After all they are rather hard to miss.

Anyway, enough about that. Please stick around for the ride I plan to take you on and here's wishing each and every one of you a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading!

F.L.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own anything HP related nor am I making any profit from this story. Any original characters and/or settings belong to me and permission is needed from me before using any OC's/plot that I am currently writing as I have worked hard on the creation of this tale.**

**Warning:**** Disturbing content in this chapter. You have been warned.**

**From the Depths of Hell**

**Chapter 3**

_October 5, 2000_

_It has been several weeks since I have been keeping this journal on a daily basis so I can record all of my thoughts and research that have been accomplished with the subjects. The GT3 serum still needs work as I am afraid I have not perfected the exact formula needed to maintain the balance of perfect control and still allow the subjects to exercise a minimal amount of free will. The military just wants to be able to control these magical people but as the popular argument maintains, nothing ever goes according to plan. These experiments must have some modicum of allowance for the subjects to be able to think under duress in order to fulfill their mission objectives._

_I am getting close to the balance and hopefully no more executions of the subjects will occur. What happened to the first test group was a shame but the seven other individuals that have been killed during this testing phase had been expendable. After all, the subjects are basically brought in from just about every magical country where there is an American and/or British contingent of soldiers stationed._

_I have received word that a new batch of young, strong subjects have arrived from England and I am most delighted at the possibilities this presents. The formula is almost perfected so it is only a matter of time before the perfect soldier has been created._

_Then I can focus on slowly integrating their magic abilities into their regime. I still think that is a bad idea, but like I have stated before, it is not my decision to make._

_I must go now. Rounds need to be made to examine the new subjects to determine who will be the next ones tested._

_I have a good feeling about this._

_**Dr. Joseph Miller**_

_**Head of Genetic Research**_

_**Wheaton and Caliph Industries**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_October 2000_

Hermione faced her unstable cell mate with a healthy amount of trepidation. Somehow she was not surprised to see the most devout worshipper of Voldemort as her new roommate for the foreseeable future. That's the way her luck had been running as of late.

Bellatrix's loud cackle of glee seemed to bounce off of the walls. The deranged sound served to disturb the inmates in the surrounding cells as her voice carried through the various slits that were placed strategically in the plexiglass all around the cells.

"Lestrange, as much as I would love to have a go at you, I find myself not in the mood. Quite frankly I have bigger things to worry about as do you."

The older woman sneered at the petite witch.

"Is Muddy proposing a truce? How sweet!"

Her cackle reverberated again. Neither witch was aware of the scrutiny of the others in the cell block nor their guards who had began to move towards them.

"No, not quite a truce. Just a temporary stay of your little vendetta towards me until we get out of here."

"Then what Muddy?"

Hermione was disturbed by the gleam in the insane woman's eyes.

"Then Bellatrix, all bets are off."

Silence surrounded the two witches as they appraised each other. Shifting, the older woman stood slowly, stretching her body sinuously. Trapping Hermione with her heavy-lidded gaze she pursed her lips.

"No. I don't think so."

That was all the warning the petite witch had before the older woman launched herself against her causing her head to slam painfully back against the wall. Grappling against the strong hold of her opponent, the curly-haired witch let her battle training take over. With a sharp jab at Bellatrix's throat, Hermione was able to gain space and readied a defensive stance as the older witch choked for breath. She was prepared when the other woman came rushing towards her again, and with a swift pivot, she sent her foot into Bellatrix's chest and sent her crashing against the cell wall.

"Knock it off you two!"

The voice of one of the guards did not register to the two women that were locked in a haze of violence. As Bellatrix managed to get a punch in on the shorter woman, the guards unlocked the cell. Hermione responded to the insane woman's punch with a fierce uppercut of her own that sent the older woman stumbling, holding her cheek. A shriek of rage came from the enraged Bellatrix, causing the other inmates to wince at the sheer volume of the deranged woman's anger. She made to attack again, but the curly-haired witch met her halfway.

Both were stopped by strong arms which yanked them to opposite sides of their cell. Hermione found her hands in restraints behind her back as she was forced to her knees trying not to black out from the steel like vice that gripped her throat. She managed to maneuver her head and bit down hard. She heard a shout from the guard holding her and she was violently cuffed on the side of her head causing her to tip over.

Dazedly, she saw Bellatrix in much the same situation as her. The two adversaries stared at one another, a flash of understanding in their eyes.

They would not be victims again.

With a war cry, Hermione gained her feet and snapped her head forward, breaking the guard's nose on impact. He screamed as blood gushed between his outstretched fingers in a weak attempt to block the blow from her surprise attack.

"You Bitch!" He snarled as he backhanded her forcefully sending her crashing against the cell wall.

He pressed the length of his body against the back of hers and smashed her face against the plexiglass. She saw the occupants in the cell next to her stare at her in horror as they banged against the plexiglass separating them, screaming at the guards.

She could hear sounds of struggling and cries of pain from behind her and knew that Bellatrix had to bee in much the same position as she was given that the cries she heard were from the older witch. All around them, the inmates were banging and shouting against their confinement.

She could vaguely make out the faint tromping of feet over the din as the entire cell block was lit up in flashing red lights as an alarm pierced the air. Her head was slammed again, and she felt a searing pain in her forehead where the skin had split. Blood trickled down her face, smearing against the clear wall as she was once more slammed against it.

A keening noise tore out of her throat as rage clouded her vision. She kicked back, the soft soles of her slippers not doing much damage, but she felt the guard's grip loosen. Her fingers brushed against his belt and using her restrained hands she grabbed him between his legs and squeezed with all of the strength she had.

His shouts of agony deafened her as she continued to apply pressure to his family jewels. Feeling him release her completely, she spun around as he dropped to the floor and she lashed out with her foot and nailed him in his already broken nose. He flew to the side and was still. She turned her attention to Bellatrix and saw her struggling against the large man restraining her. Without hesitation, Hermione crossed over to where her adversary was pinned and was snarling in anger. A quick kick to the face had the guard screaming as Bellatrix sprung up. She eyed the man at her feet, her dark eyes flashing. Hermione eyed the enraged witch with an apathetic eye and watched as the older woman stepped on his windpipe crushing it.

She felt a fleeting moment of remorse for the most likely dead man, but she honestly couldn't blame the witch for her animosity. Before she could speak, she was enveloped in white hot pain as electricity was shot through her system bringing her to her knees, a scream of pain tearing from her throat.

She had been tasered! The bastards stunned her!

Her face twisted in rage and bloodied, attempted to lunge towards the military men crowding her cell, but she was stopped once again by an even longer dose of electricity. As her body jerked and she screamed, long and loud the sound of it disturbing to the other inmates in its intensity. She saw darkness creeping in on her vision, but before everything went black, she saw the unconscious figure of her cellmate on the floor in front of her.

She let oblivion take her and joined the comatose witch on the floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Gone? What do you mean _gone_?"

Severus Snape stared at the incredulous man with a small amount of patience.

"Just what I said Lucius, Bellatrix has gone missing!"

Pouring himself another brandy, the Malfoy patriarch stared into the dancing flames of the fire in his library. His dark companion sat in a chair across from him and observed the pale aristocrat.

"And the Dark Lord? Does he know?"

"I do not know, although I think it unlikely that he wouldn't already be aware of this."

Lucius furrowed his brow in thought.

"This make how many missing now?"

Severus sighed. "Thirty-seven known disappearances but I would bet that number is actually higher. There is a significant wizarding populace in the world, now more so than when we were youths, and if these disappearances are happening here, they are most likely happening elsewhere."

Lucius absorbed his words carefully.

"We must use caution old friend. My sources at the ministry are surprisingly tight-lipped regarding this issue."

Severus smirked at the blond man. "What? Your threats of bribery and coercion falling short?"

"Shut it Snape! The public is already wary of the war between the Dark Lord and Potter, if the news of this broke; imagine the panic that would cause here in wizarding Britain. Not only do they have fear of the Dark Lord but then they would have to fear the outside world, those filthy muggles, and that is something that many of our brethren could not swallow so easily. Being afraid of a filthy, disgusting muggle! What would that accomplish?"

"Other than more followers for our Lord?"

Lucius snorted elegantly. "Do you really think our Lord would be so complacent to accept so many flocking to his cause because they 'had a change of heart' due to our missing brethren? He would use them for his own purposes and then slit their throats while they slept. You know it is true as well as I do. I imagine most of wizarding Britain that is already not on our side is aware of that fact as well."

The Potion Master's obsidian glittered intelligently. "So what are you proposing?"

The blond haired man remained in a contemplative silence for a few minutes. "I believe a temporary truce is in order for both sides. Until we can get to the bottom of this situation, it would be prudent to keep your friends and allies close, but your enemies closer, as the saying goes."

Game. Set. Match.

Severus smirked inwardly. His long-time friend had just walked right into his carefully laid trap.

"Interesting. May I ask how you are going to present this to the Dark Lord? Besides very carefully?"

A flash of annoyance crossed Lucius's mercurial eyes. "No need to ask as you will be right there beside me. After all it is _our_ idea."

The dark man raised a brow at his companion's wicked smirk. He should not have been surprised. Lucius was a master Slytherin and he was very cunning indeed. Well so was he! After all, if it wasn't for his veiled baiting, Lucius would never have come up with the plan.

"Indeed. Very well then. I have a few things to address before we go. Shall I meet back here with you at 10'o clock?"

Nodding regally, Lucius replied. "That is acceptable. I, myself must track down my _lovely_ wife."

All pretenses aside, Severus regarded his long-time friend with an air of sadness.

"Who is it this time?"

The Malfoy patriarch turned his glacier eyes to his oldest friend and confidante. "I'm not sure. Antonin was getting a bit _familiar_ with her at our last gathering, but I do not know if he has been able to hold her interest or if she has moved on to the next one."

"I have told you repeatedly that you should divorce Narcissa, but I also know that it is not possible. You should save yourself the pain and stop her rather_ loose_ ways."

"It is not pain she causes me, but rather acute embarrassment. I could care less if she slept with the whole of London, as long as she was discreet. You know I have no affection for her. It is my pride she is wounding, not my heart."

Severus heard the truth in his words. While Lucius was no saint himself, Cissy took the cake. At first she was the perfect model of a Pureblooded wife, after she trapped his friend into marriage that is. Then things changed. Sighing heavily, he turned to leave.

"I will see you later old friend."

The blond-haired man waved his hand elegantly and returned his attention to the flames, lost in thought. Severus saw his way out, and once he reached the boundaries of Malfoy manor he apparated to his destination.

Upon reaching Spinner's End he swiftly entered the house he used as a cover and stopped short. There on his couch sat his Order contact with tears on her face, the woman he had grown to care for, to love.

And she loved him in return with a fervor that astonished him.

"Love? What has happened?"

He swiftly strode forward and embraced the crying witch. Sobs wracked her frame as she clutched his robes desperately. Soothing her, he rubbed her back softly feeling her gradually calm.

"Oh Severus! I just came from a meeting. Neville is missing and so is…and so is Hermione!"

Stunned the Potions Master gathered the woman in his arms as her sobs were renewed. His mind whirled with possibilities but came to only one conclusion.

The muggles had them.

Gently pushing his love back, he tenderly wiped her tears away. "We'll find them."

Cornflower blue eyes stared at him in hope. Sighing, Severus told her of the outcome of his visit at Malfoy Manor. Listening intently, her eyes sharpened with understanding of the precarious situation.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked determinedly.

"Return to the others. I will contact you when it is safe and let you know what has happened."

She flung herself at him, kissing him passionately, wriggling on his lap. Her hands were everywhere and he groaned against her lips as he felt the heat of her core through her jean clad legs. Growling he removed their clothes with a wave of his wand and soon he found himself entrenched in her tight, hot body as she rode him hard. He flipped her over taking control himself. They were frantic in their lovemaking, both reaching their release at the same time.

As the cleaned themselves with a whispered _Scourgify_, the dressed slowly, both loathe for the other's comforting presence to leave. With a final kiss before apparating, the witch spoke against his lips.

"I love you Severus Snape." Then she was gone.

Staring at the spot she disappeared from he returned her sentiment before attending to what needed to be done before he met with the Dark Lord later.

"I love you as well Ginerva Weasley."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: **Annnnnnddddd CUT! Well there you have it dear readers, the next installment of "From the Depths of Hell". Show of hands as to who guessed who Snape's love was! I know I was surprised and I wrote the darn thing!

AND…… WE FINALLY HAVE A BIT OF LUCIUS! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now don't worry you guys, there WILL BE LUMIONE action. Just not right now. Remember this is going to be a long fic and things have to progress. As the story unfolds, we will find out more details and background on the characters. i.e. HOW THE HELL DID GINNY AND SNAPE HOOK UP?!?!?!

To all of you who were kind enough to review, thank you so very much and hopefully you will keep doing so. Those of you who haven't dropped me a line, I really wish you would but I want to say to everyone;

Thanks for reading!

F.L.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own anything HP related nor am I making any profit from this story. Any original characters and/or settings belong to me and permission is needed from me before using any OC's/plot that I am currently writing as I have worked hard on the creation of this tale.**

**Warning:**** Disturbing content in this story. You have been warned.**

**From the Depths of Hell**

**Chapter 4**

_October 8, 2000_

_I am thrilled with the latest batch of subjects we have been allowed to experiment with. They show such promise! It was the first time I was able to select the individuals myself for the next "team". I was only able to choose five of them though as two of the subjects had previously been selected by the gentleman heading this whole project. _

_The man that EVERYONE avoided hacking off in fear of a most excruciating punishment. I have not even spoken to him, let alone laid eyes on him but I have heard whispers of his ruthlessness and his cruelty. But money talks, and apparently our benefactor was quite loaded and so blind eyes and deaf ears were cast whenever he had been rumored to have done something rather unscrupulous._

_I digress. Where was I? Ahh..yes. The two subjects selected for me that I am referring to are both women, strong and rather vocal in their hatred of each other and their surroundings. The Captain in charge of their cell block is practically salivating at the thought of breaking these two women in. I do not envy the subjects as the story of their disobedience and trouble they caused a few days ago has spread like wildfire. They are only now being released to rejoin their cellblock and start their training with their new team tomorrow._

_I have been instructed that I am to try a new approach with this batch. I am not sure if the plan that was laid before me is a good one, but I will not utter a word in complaint. The reconditioning will take much, much longer but it is expected to bear grandiose results._

_But first, they must become acclimated with one another. Tomorrow starts the first phase of their reconditioning and I do believe it will be an interesting one._

_Teamwork exercises, like the ones planned for the subjects, seem to always bring out the worst in a person._

_Yes, it will be most interesting to see._

_**Dr. Joseph Miller**_

_**Head of Genetic Research**_

_**Wheaton and Caliph Industries**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_October 2000_

Hermione returned to consciousness slowly. Her face was pressed against a cold concrete floor and she blinked trying to clear her blurry vision.

"Up! Get up now you freak!"

Assuming that she was the recipient of the demand that she stand, she attempted to rise only to fall back in agony. Her entire body screamed with pain and her muscles felt like they were on fire. Biting her lip to keep her cry of pain from escaping she struggled to her feet afraid of what would happen if she did not comply.

The room swam around her as she braced herself against the wall willing herself not to be sick. Slowly her vision returned to normal and the dizzying sensation left her leaving a pounding in her head. She was grabbed roughly and shackled before she was escorted forcefully out of the room.

As she was yanked along, the brunette recalled the events that must have led to her current predicament. She paled and stopped dead in her tracks causing one of the guards behind her to cuff her in the head. Startled she resumed walking; just now noticing the strange looks she had been receiving from her dirty disheveled presence. She winced in embarrassment, feeling the cut on her forehead reopen and fresh blood trickled down her face leaving crimson trails to overlap the dried blood already there.

Her frown became a grimace as she felt searing pain from where her skin had split again. Raising her head high, she doggedly ignored the mutterings around her and continued onwards, allowing her spirit to be infused with her Gryffindor pride.

She would not break. They could do what they wanted to her but she would not submit.

She felt the strength of molten steel encompass those thoughts and tempered with her anger and hatred, she _**knew**_ she would persevere.

Of course that didn't really help the fact that there would most likely be immense pain along the way.

She was escorted into a white room with only a table and two chairs as the only adornments. She was roughly pushed into one of the chairs, her guards standing as sentries behind her.

"Would one of you gentlemen be so kind as to lend me a handkerchief so that I may at least wipe the blood from my face?" She asked sweetly, knowing that she would not be shown such courtesy from them.

Silence greeted her request and she shifted her position, ignoring the clanging of her shackles.

"I would imagine that whomever I am about to be interrogated by would prefer it if I was not bleeding all over his pristine table. So, I will ask again. May I have a handkerchief?"

A tanned hand appeared by her nose offering an anagrammed cloth. Surprised, she gingerly accepted it and awkwardly grasped it and bent over to clean her face the best she could.

Straightening, she surveyed the man who was now seated before her. He had dark hair that appeared to be tied back, a strong jaw line that was freshly shaven. Broad shoulders filled out his impeccable suit and dark glasses covered his eyes. His sensual lips smirked at her open appraisal.

"Thank you." She said quietly, blushing slightly at her perusal of him.

"You are welcome."

His deep voice rang out in the room causing her to inwardly shiver.

"You may keep that as I do not have further use for it." He said indicating to the blue handkerchief stained with blood grasped in her shackled hands.

Flushing she muttered another thank you. He was making her uncomfortable and he knew it. Recalling her vow to herself, she raised her head proudly and stared at him.

"Why am I here?"

A slow smile broke out on his handsome face as his white teeth flashed blindingly. "Straight to the point. I like that."

"You did not answer my question _sir_."

The smile abruptly left his face. "You are here because you have been a naughty girl."

Bristling, the beautiful brunette glared at him. "I am not a _girl _and you do not have to speak to me as if I am three years old! You know as well as I, that I am aware of my apparent transgression, but honestly, what did you expect when you placed two mortal enemies in the same cell? Love and butterflies? I know you muggles should be able to think better than that!"

"Are you finished?"

Seething at his blasé attitude, the curly haired witch was ready to blast him with a few choice phrases but checked herself. She plastered an insincere smile on her face, intent on antagonizing him.

"I am done." _For now_.

"What is your name?"

"What's yours?" She snapped.

"I asked first. You would do well to retain your manners, _girl_."

Hearing the steely undertone in his voice, Hermione decided to play nice. "Jane. My name is Jane."

He burst out in laughter. "Jane? That's a good one!" Sobering, he leaned closer to her, his whole presence dark and menacing.

"Now I will tell you this only once. Do. Not. Test. Me. Understand?"

Her amber eyes never left his hidden eyes as she nodded in response. There was something that was very dangerous about this man and she decided to play along for now. The more someone knew, the better off they were, right? Maybe she could glean some information from him and in turn help her and her captive brethren.

After all, knowledge was power.

He leaned back a crooked smile appearing. "Excellent. Now, let's try this again. What is your name?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lucius was waiting rather impatiently for his old friend. He had donned all black clothing for their meeting with the Dark Lord and as he walked towards the apparition chamber, his cloak swirled around him. His brow was furrowed with worry. He had not bothered to track down his worthless wife and instead attempted to reach Draco. He had been unable to contact him through the pendant that both Malfoy men wore. The silver pendant grew warm when activated letting the bearer know that they were needed and acted as a homing beacon that allowed one to apparate to the other's side.

His son had not responded to Lucius's summons and that was quite troublesome.

"Lucius." A deep, silky voice called out to him.

"Severus. Glad to see you made it on time."

Ignoring the sarcastic tone of his long-time friend, the Potions Master joined his friend in the apparation room. Both men while uneasy in what they intended to do, maintained a stoic demeanor, if not a bit arrogant.

"Ready?"

With a curt nod Lucius answered his friend's question. Both men touched their wands to their Dark Marks and waited. Three heartbeats later a burning sensation rose up as the Mark blazed red. With a 'Pop' both men disappeared from sight. Reappearing on the outskirts of a dismal swamp, Lucius stepped forward and slashed his outstretched wand downwards muttering an incantation. The mist parted and the two men strode forward without any hesitation or fear, disappearing from sight.. As the mist once again closed behind them, there was no hint of their passing as not even a blade of marsh grass had been disturbed.

After traveling a few moments through darkness, the two men reached the barrier that only those with the Dark Mark could enter. Lucius drew a silver serpent handled dagger from his robes and sliced a shallow cut across his palm. His face cold, the handsome wizard placed his bleeding palm against the barrier and waited a moment before his hand broke through the magical ward allowing the rest of him to follow. Severus repeated his friend's performance, and upon leaving the barrier behind they immediately looked upon Voldemort's domain.

A great stone monastery stood solidly before them, some of the outer wall appeared to be in disrepair, with crumbling stones and several gaping holes. The giant wooden doors seemed dry-rotted and brittle. Both men knew that the main keep also looked just as damaged, but as the saying goes, appearances were deceiving.

Approaching the door, the two men stated their names and allowed the disillusioned Death Eater standing guard to run a wand identification spell on their persons. Lucius maintained his cold air as he mentally rolled his eyes at the Dark Lord's paranoia.

Still in these dark days, one could not be too careful.

Entering the courtyard, the two men steadily walked across it ignoring the muggle bodies strung up on crosses in a perverse mockery of muggle religion. Several fresh hex marks and gaping wounds were seen as some of the bored Death Eaters who sought entertainment gleefully shouted curses at the tortured muggles while their brethren cheered them on.

While not looking at the captives helped, nothing could block out the anguished screams from the victims. Not one Death Eater dare cast _Silencio_ for that would be seen as a weakness. And much like a rabid pack of hyenas, the Death Eaters were always on the lookout for weakness hoping that such exposure of it would propel their own selves further up in the Dark Lord's favor. As both The Malfoy Lord and the Potions Master were favorites of the Dark Lord, they were under much more scrutiny than most.

Entering the keep, both men continued on towards the Great Hall where they were announced at the door and bidden to enter. Upon the large doors closing behind them, they swiftly approached the raised dais and dropped to one knee, heads bowed.

"Rise." The serpentine voice of their lord commanded.

Standing, the two men allowed their minds to be invaded by the Dark Lord, carefully shielding any personal thoughts and in Snape's case, incriminating ones. Feeling their master withdraw, the two men inwardly relaxed. It was always nerve-wracking to undergo the Dark Lord's mental probing.

"Tell me, why you have come? Do you have an update on the disappearance of one of my most faithful?" Lucius remained stoic even as he flinched inwardly at his master's silky but lethal tone.

"My Lord, we have come with most troublesome news. Recently, both Lucius and I have been noticing a rise in wizard and witches disappearing. At first we thought it was due to fear, as the might of your greatness spread, that many filthy mudbloods were defecting to the colonies or other such places. We were incorrect in our assessment. Half-Bloods and even quite a few purebloods have turned up missing as well."

"I already know this Severus, what does this have do with Bella? Where is she and why is she not responding to my summons?" Red eyes burned into black ones as the Potion's Master felt a sharp pain in his head. The invasion into his mid was so forceful that the tall man had to slam down his Occlumency shields. Desperately hoping his shield would hold, he forcefully began projecting the word 'muggles'.

Voldemort retreated and looked coldly at Lucius.

"What does he mean by 'muggles'?"

Eying his recovering friend cautiously, the blond man answered in a drawl.

"We have strong reason to believe My Lord that our missing people, on both sides of the war and no matter their blood purity, have been taken by muggles."

Seeing his master's face contort in disbelief, Lucius hurried on with his explanation. "My inquiries at the Ministry have been met with an unprecedented amount of resistance and even my threats of extortion are not as effective as I would like."

Hissing slightly, Voldemort leaned back in his carved throne. The blond wizard apathetically eyed the detailed carvings of muggles who were realistically depicted in varying stages of torment. Seeing the Dark Lord motion for him to continue, the handsome wizard spoke again.

"Between Severus and myself we have been in touch with some rather well placed informants on the Light side and received some rather startlingly news. At the battle where Bella was last seen, it seems as if a couple of Potter's most important loyalists have gone missing as well. All three of them were engaged at the battle and then when it was over they were among the few missing. One of the Order's Aurors apparently witnessed several masked men in muggle military attire leaving the scene. We noted how strange it was that so many other witches and wizards remained relatively untouched besides apparently being drugged."

"Are we sure of the Auror's claim?"

"Yes, my Lord. The Auror was questioned under _Veritaserum_." Severus answered, now fully recovered from the Dark Lord's mental assault.

Contemplating this information, the Dark Lord stroked Nagini who was draped around his throne. Lucius presented a disturbing problem. It seemed as if the wizarding world had been exposed, to an extent, to the muggle world. It seemed as if the muggle military knew of their existence, but the pale wizard seriously doubted that the general population had been informed. Yet.

As an afterthought he thought to ask; "Who were Potter's friends that were taken?"

"Neville Longbottom who was a most trusted captain and close friend of Potter's. The other was Hermione Granger, mudblood and one of the Golden Trio."

Voldemort froze at that information. "The mudblood? _Potter's_ mudblood? One of the Light Side's most valued leaders?"

"Indeed, my Lord." Severus said bowing his head briefly. While he expected a reaction out of the Dark Lord at that juicy tidbit, it was more of a gleeful reaction he had predicted, not the one he actually received. The Dark Lord seemed almost_ concerned_. Looking out the corner of his eye he saw that his blond companion had picked up on it as well. The Malfoy Lord's brow was furrowed faintly before it smoothed out and no sign of his thoughts were discernable on his handsome face.

Both men remained quiet as their Lord sat silently, absently tapping his armrest. After a few minutes, Voldemort returned his attention to his two loyal subjects.

"And the Light Side? How informed are they in regards to this particular situation?"

"They have at least as much information as we do, My Lord. Though we suspect they could possibly know more. There is only so much our informants are entrusted with." Severus replied cautiously, baiting the hook.

Hissing in displeasure the Dark Lord rose fluidly. "Unacceptable!"

"My Lord, if I may, I have a suggestion." Lucius interjected smoothly, his face impassive. Not a hint of his inner nervousness was visible.

Pacing, the Dark Lord motioned impatiently for him to continue.

"After pooling our information, Severus and I discussed the ramifications of such a troublesome issue. Our, world is in jeopardy, My Lord. If these muggles can manage to capture some of the most powerful and valued members from _both_ sides of this war, we face a serious problem."

The Potion's Master stepped in. "We need to find your captured followers, My Lord. We must first locate or somehow trace where these muggles have hidden our people. And for that, we need more information. Information that Potter and his loyalists may already have."

It was true that while regarded as weak, the Light Side had a lot of well placed resources they could utilize. Both muggle and wizarding alike.

"What do you propose?"

Lucius breathed deeply. "We believe that calling a temporary truce would be beneficial."

Voldemort hissed angrily. "Why would you propose such a ludicrous idea?"

Noting how he had strangely not been immediately _Crucioed_, the blond hurriedly continued. "Both sides have lost powerful members and the threat does not seem to be lessening. All of us, wizards and witches, on either side of this war have reason to seriously be concerned. While your loyal followers would die before revealing any information, we know that the Light Side will have a more difficult time remaining silent. After all, they are weaker than us, and who knows what secrets would be uncovered then."

"You have a point Lucius." The Dark Lord said before returning to his throne. "But tell me, how did you manage to gain the courage to suggest something you know I would immediately object to hearing?"

Lucius bowed his head. "I have reason to believe My Lord that my son Draco has been taken as well. It has been a few days since I last communicated with him, a very unusual occurrence. Desperation is my motive. I do this for purely selfish reasons in the anxious hope that this will help lead me to Draco."

Severus smirked inwardly. If presented with any other reason, Voldemort would not accept it, so it was rather fortuitous that Lucius had exploited Draco's disappearance so slyly. A true Slytherin to the core, sometimes it was a real pleasure to watch his friend spin his web.

A commotion sounded outside of the doors leading into the Great Hall. Turning swiftly to face the possible threat to their Lord, both men raised their wands as the doors were violently thrown open.

"My Lord, they have blown up St. Mungo's!! The fucking muggles leveled the place!!" Dolohov gasped out holding out a special edition of the Daily Prophet.

Striding over, Severus lowered his wand and took the paper from the winded Death Eater. Scanning it, he blanched before dutifully passing it to the Dark Lord. Lucius caught the chilling headline that practically screamed out at them.

_**Muggles Destroy St. Mungos!!!!!!!!!**_

Snarling, Voldemort crumpled the paper in his hand. Standing abruptly, he descended the stairs of his dais with a predatory grace. Handing the paper to Lucius to read, the Dark Lord waved his hand at several Death Eaters who had entered the hall with Dolohov's unexpected entrance, freezing them all in place. Only, Lucius, Severus and himself remained unaffected from the spell.

After a few minutes of silence, Voldemort finally spoke.

"Send a letter to Potter telling him I desire to meet with him. We have a situation here that needs to be addressed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**A/N: YAY! I updated!!! Not much action in this chapter. This chapter is more plot oriented by setting up some more of the story line. There are a lot of different slight foreshadowings in this chapter that will slowly be unfolded as the story progresses.**

**Please drop me a line and let me know what you think.**

**And as always, thanks for reading everyone and for your wonderful reviews and support!! Please keep it up!!**

**F.L.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own anything HP related nor am I making any profit from this story. Any original characters and/or settings belong to me and permission is needed from me before using any OC's/plot that I am currently writing as I have worked hard on the creation of this tale. Any similarities to other works of fan fiction are purely unintentional.**

**Warning:**** Disturbing content in this story. You have been warned.**

**From the Depths of Hell**

**Chapter 5**

_October 11, 2000_

_I am utterly astounded at the failed results from the past two days of teamwork exercises. The selected individuals, while impressive in their own ways, seem to be rather resistant in cooperating. While I can understand their lack of desire to mold themselves into what we deem acceptable, I just cannot fathom the defiance they are giving us. Don't they see that it is in their best interests to comply with the program?_

_I fear if things do not change, they will be eliminated. A true pity that would be._

_I guess to expect anything else would be rather naïve of us. It is obvious that there are those in this test group who are enemies, so to expect an immediate cohesive unit of these subjects is a fantasy at best. It has been strongly suggested by General Cohen that some extreme measures may be implemented in order to break the subjects' animosity towards us and each other._

_Something sparked inside of me causing me to speak up and I assured him that my staff and I could handle any measures to help counter the subjects' stubbornness. While he understandably looked doubtful, he accepted my statement. Of course he really did not have a choice as I am in charge of this project._

_So the next phase has begun and it will be interesting to see who amongst them is the strongest willed._

_**Dr. Joseph Miller**_

_**Head of Genetic Research**_

_**Wheaton and Caliph Industries**_

_October 2000_

Misery seemed to be the name of the latest game the muggles seemed more than willing to play. His naked form was curled in a fetal position, desperate for warmth. He found himself constantly fighting against the despair that threatened to overwhelm him. The darkness of the room seemed to penetrate his soul and he likened it to the exposure of a Dementor. Nothing but silence reverberated around him. He would rather be back in his cell again, watching helplessly as his dear friend was assaulted by the muggle guards than to be stuck in here for much longer. He had no knowledge of how much time had passed but he was certain that as soon as he allowed himself some much needed sleep _they_ would come.

_They_ always did.

He was not looking forward to another bucket of icy water to _help _keep him awake.

He felt as if he was at the end of a taut tether that was ready to snap at any time. While he might not have been touted as overly bright during his Hogwarts' years, he was sure that the muggles were going to extremes to break his spirit. It was a hard pill to swallow, but if he was going through this then it would be a good bet that his fellow "teammates" were as well.

A most troubling thought indeed.

The grating of the door alerted him and he managed to pull himself up in a sitting position before light from the corridor swamped the room blinding him painfully. As he was hauled to his feet he knew better than to question the military men that roughly led him from the horrid dark room. His eyes streaming with tears from the brightness of the florescent lights that seemed to be the primary lighting of this place, he tried to trace where he might be in this concrete prison. Unfortunately, he had no clue as to his location compared to his familiar cell.

How sad it was that he looked forward to being back in that plexiglass cube. It was familiar to him, and compared to the unknown, well familiar was most definitely the lesser of two evils.

He winced as his legs gave out from under him. He was firmly yanked between the heavily armed guards and even he could understand the unspoken message.

_Keep up._

He willed his legs to work properly, if only for a little longer. Concentrating on keeping one foot in front of the other, he kept his gaze on the floor in an attempt to diminish the brightness of the lights and to keep his dizziness at bay.

He no longer replayed how he got here in his mind as all it did was remind him of everything he had lost, his freedom being the most important. He selfishly was glad that the Gryffindor Princess was here and part of his 'team". He did not think that he could bear going through this hell alone without a friendly face. It was bad enough that the witch responsible for torturing and irretrievably damaging his parents' metal capabilities was on his team, but so were two former Slytherin's he attended Hogwarts with. The last two members of his team were both men only a couple of years older than himself. One was from Spain and frequently vocalized his anger and contempt for everything and everyone in his native tongue. The other was from the Mediterranean, seemingly from Greece, and he was eerily quiet and rather emotionless.

Quite unsettling really.

His thoughts drifted as he shuffled between his armed escort. Whoever was in charge of this operation seemed to be rather well informed with regards to the magical community. Just being able to capture them so randomly and at locations that were populated at the time spoke volumes of that fact. Not to mention the fact that all of their magic was being suppressed. How it was being done, he had no idea but he sure would love to find out.

His escort stopped abruptly in front of a door exchanging words with the soldiers stationed there. He watched apprehensively as he was ushered into the room and was surprised at the size of it. While not by any stretch of the imagination luxurious, it was by far larger than his cube cell had been. Gazing around he noted the bunks that were attached to the concrete walls. There were a total of seven, with five curiously on the left wall while only two were on the right wall. He saw the male members of his team already there on their chosen bunks eyeing his escort with hatred as the soldiers left with sharp instructions for him to find his bunk on the left which was the male side of the quarters. He continued his perusal of his new lodgings and was not happy to see three open toilets with sinks and what appeared to be a communal shower with three shower heads. On either side of the door there was a small metal bureau bolted to the floor. There were, of course, no windows.

"Longbottom." A voice drawled out breaking the silence of the room.

"Malfoy." He responded curtly before walking over and choosing the open top bunk above the Spaniard. He noted that the Greek was reclining on the only singular bunk diagonally below his.

"What now?" He asked dully.

"Now we wait for the rest of our group." Blaise Zabini answered shortly from where he sat on the other top bunk next to him.

The group waited in silence for the arrival of the final two members who represented the female contingent of their team. Neville wondered why they would keep the genders intermixed as he eyed the shower area. What would that accomplish? Locking two attractive women up with five healthy males did not seem like a very good idea to him.

The door opened and Bellatrix was shoved into the room. She stumbled before regaining her balance swiftly. Turning she literally hissed at the smirking guard as he closed the door. Neville watched with intense hatred as his parents' torturer surveyed the room her lip curling in distaste as she took in the shower and toilet accommodations. Scowling, she selected the low bunk furtherest from the door leaving the only other bunk which was also low to the floor for the last member of their group.

Almost immediately the door opened again and Hermione was shoved roughly into the room. Unable to catch herself she fell to her knees with a grimace.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Neville shouted jumping down from his bunk as four guards surrounded the fallen witch.

"Stop where you are!" An authoritative voice commanded.

The soldiers stepped to the side and saluted the owner of the voice as he came fully into the room. He was an older man appearing to be in his mid forties with thinning brown hair cropped short and silver at his temples. He wore muggle military fatigues with numerous badges showing him to be of a high rank.

Taking advantage of the guard's inattention, Hermione scrambled to her feet and quickly bolted towards the remaining bed putting distance between her and the soldiers. Her amber eyes swiftly took in the details of the room as her mouth tightened into a frown.

"I am Colonel Gates and I am in command of your unit. You have been moved here against my better judgment by the gentleman in charge of this entire operation. This room has been specially designed with you in mind. This is where you will spend all of your time when you are not training with your various instructors. As long as you put forth your full cooperation and do as you are told we'll get along just fine. I will not hesitate to punish you when it is warranted and… It. Will. Be. Brutal."

He looked sternly around the room to the quiet captives. He was glad that they seemed cowed now that they had their light and sleep deprivation reconditioning. Granted, they all looked bedraggled and a little worse for wear but they would be in good enough shape come tomorrow.

"The dressers are labeled with your name on your drawers. There you will find your belongings that were given to you when you first arrived here. I suggest you take advantage of your down time for the rest of the day because we start at 0400." He smirked. "That means 4:00AM for those of you unfamiliar with military time."

He slid one more glance at the occupants of the room before leaving. The soldiers filed out after him, but not before a couple of them sent a wink over to the two women. An uneasy silence filled the room as the prisoners eyed each other distrustfully.

How in Merlin's name were they going to make this work?

Ginny Weasley watched quietly as her hot-tempered brother paced restlessly around the library at Grimmauld Place. Lavendar Brown occupied the wingback chair next to her also watched her boyfriend rumple his hair in agitation.

It was a grave The-Boy-Who-Lived's visage that halted the frantic movements of his long-time best friend.

"Ron, stop."

"How can you sit there calm as can be when we have a crisis on our hands?" The youngest Weasley son shouted.

The youngest of the red-headed brood twisted her lips wryly. Anyone with half a brain could see that Harry was not calm at all. His face was pale and pinched and he grasped the letter recently delivered with a death grip, his knuckles white.

"Trust me Ron; I am the _**furthest**_thing from calm."

"You don't act like it!" The red-head snarled at his best friend.

"**WHAT EXACTLY WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO?**!" Lavender jumped at the roar that came from the raven haired legend as he leapt to his feet, his hands slamming down on his desk forcefully.

"St. Mungo's has been completely destroyed! All of those lives were just meaningless to the muggles who did this! They don't see us as people! Many magic folk have been taken both from our side and the Dark. Neville is gone and so is…and so is…." Harry's voice broke off as he took a deep breath fighting for control.

"And so is Hermione." Ginny finished for him quietly.

'Yes. So is Hermione." He said dully.

"I get that Harry! She was my best friend too! But this is The Dark Lord we are talking about! How can you even _**think**_ about meeting with him?"

"Is, Ronald Is." The raven haired man snapped back.

"What?"

"Hermione _**IS**_ your best friend too. Not _**WAS**_ but _**IS**_!"

Silence engulfed the small group at those words.

"Harry's right." Ginny said decisively. "We cannot just assume that she or any of the others are dead or are lost to us. We _**will**_ get them back."

"But V…V…Voldemort?" Lavender asked unsurely. She understood the dire situation they were in, she really did, it just was mind blowing to even conceive of a diplomatic meeting between the two sides.

"He wants to kill Harry in case you've forgotten Gin!" Ron retorted, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"I know that Ronald. But maybe this is the only way. Whether we like it or not, **ALL** of us, witches and wizards alike, are in some serious trouble. It couldn't hurt to at least meet with him and his selected emissaries."

"The Order will never go for it, and you know it." The red-headed male firmly stated.

"Which is why I need all of you on board." Harry said wearily. "I plan to speak with Moony and Kingsley before addressing this in the meeting tonight. I will need your support Ron."

"Besides Ron, Harry will need you by his side now more than ever to pull his butt out of trouble." Ginny said matter-of-factly.

Lavender let out a short laugh. "She's right you know."

Smiling grimly, the Weasley male shook his head. "Alright Harry. You have my support as long as we do this together."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

3:30 AM found all of their seven member team awake and sitting on their bunks, alert and not a little apprehensive at what the day would bring. They had adopted this schedule since they were first locked in this cell together over two weeks ago.

Draco eyed the disturbingly silent females across the room and wondered how everything had gotten so fucked up. He could not say that he still honestly despised Granger or Longbottom but it was a bitter potion to swallow to admit that he in anyway may be actually _glad_ they were there with him.

But swallow it he would.

The Mudblood's encouraging words to Neville throughout this mess had somehow been able to reach him as well and he found that he was able to steel himself against the rigorous and brutal training regiment that they were put through daily.

He wasn't the only one.

Blaise and the Greek wizard Nikolai also seemed to be bolstered by the former Head Girl's strength and encouraging words. They were respectful and borderline protective of the petite witch and his Aunt Bella as well.

It was no wonder he thought glumly, his head resting on his knees.

The two women, each beautiful in their own rights, unfortunately drew a lot of the male guards attention. While there had been no repeat of the heinous incident on that muggle ship, the two witches were constantly harassed and put in many various and uncomfortable situations.

Strangely enough, this created a unique bond between the two witches that was scary in its brilliance. Both women were intelligent and had their own strength and advantages that they brought to the group. While there was no debating the insane and cruel streak in his Aunt Bella, it was surprising to see the depths of Granger's slyness and thirst for revenge and how well the two former opponents seemed to be getting along.

Downright scary as Neville had expressed just yesterday.

Their seventh member of their team, Carlos, was definitely a bit of a hot head. He was in no way willing to work with the team and if he wasn't careful the Spaniard would find himself eliminated like many others before him. That didn't stop them from trying to rein him in though.

While all of that was thought consuming, the most mind blowing thing was the slow dissipation of hatred and animosity between Longbottom and his Aunt Bella, particularly after she saved his life during an intense training test four days ago. The former Gryffindor was not the only one stuttering in disbelief when Bellatrix threw herself over Neville bringing him to the ground to avoid a nasty shot of an electric bolt headed his way.

All in all their dynamics had changed, whether they wanted it or not. He knew he had accepted it, had accepted _them_. All of them were his team, his companions and even…friends. No use in denying it anymore.

If, no…_when_ they all got out of this hellhole, things would never go back to what they were. How could they after all they were going through together? They were truly bonding as a team, both as a whole and as individuals. It was almost frightening how seamlessly they had all fell into this and finally being able to work solidly together.

They were the best _experiment_ so far and that was NOT a comforting thought as he saw the proud looks and pleased stares from the colonel, his Captain and the various muggle scientists.

He had an uneasy feeling that things were going to get much, much worse.

**A/N: ** **I don't know what to say besides Thank you for all of your Reviews and Support! I know it has been unforgivable ages since I last updated, but that can be said for pretty much ANY of my stories here.**

**I have not given up on this story, as I rather like my idea behind it and where I am taking it. I hope that you continue to stick around for the ride.**

**I truly apologize for the inexcusable delay in updating and I have no intention of repeating that as I am already well into writing the next chapter.**

**I appreciate your continuing interest and support!**

**Thanks for reading everyone!**

**F.L.**


End file.
